how ebooks really work
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
How eBooks Really Work
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Joshua TallenteBook Guru
@jtallent / @ebookarchitects / @askburnie
eBook Formats
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Kindle Format
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
KF8/Mobipocket FormatsKF8:
(X)HTML4/5Some proprietary code
in Fixed LayoutBinary compiled
package
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Mobipocket:HTML 3-ish
Some proprietary codeBinary compiled
package
Extensions:.PRC, .MOBI, .AZW
Kindle Format 8is not ePub
DRM
Proprietary
Amazon Kindle uses the same DRM as Mobipocket used to, but is not compatible with
purchased books from Mobipocket retailers.
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Where files can be opened
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Key Resources
KindleGen and Kindle Previeweramazon.com/kindlepublishing
Kindle Applicationswww.amazon.com/KindleApps
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub Format
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub 2
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub 2
Behind the scenes:XHTML 1.1
CSS 2XML (OPF, NCX, XML)
All wrapped up in a Zip file
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub 2
Strengths:Open Source standard
Based on modern technologies and standardsBroad industry support
Wide consumer acceptanceRobust formatting
Active development
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub 2
Weaknesses:Multiple rendering engines offering different
levels of support for the standardNot HTML 5…not really… yetNo good development tools
Lots of misinformationCompeting DRM standards
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub 2
DRM:Fairplay (Apple only)
Adobe Content Server 4 (Sony, B&N, etc.)
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub 2
How it is normally created:InDesign CS5.5 and CS6
Manually or with proprietary scriptsCalibre (NOT FOR PROFESSIONAL EBOOKS)
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub 2Where files can be opened:
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub 2
tinyurl.com/ePubDevicesCopyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub 2
B&N StoreiBookStoreSony StoreGoogle Play
Koboetc.
Where files can be obtained:
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub 2Key Resources:
International Digital Publishing Forum: IDPF.org
Adobe Digital Editions:adobe.com/products/digitaleditions
ePub Straight to the Pointelizabethcastro.com/epub
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub3
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
ePub3 will not save the world
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
New in ePub3• XHTML5• Spine can have HTML and SVG• Video & audio support• EPUB 3 Audio Overlays• JavaScript support• Enhanced global language support (vertical
writing, writing directions)• MathML support• CSS media-queries• CSS3 styling with ePub-specific prefixes
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
New in ePub3• XHTML5• Spine can have HTML and SVG• Video & audio support• EPUB 3 Audio Overlays• JavaScript support• Enhanced global language support (vertical
writing, writing directions)• MathML support (not complete)• CSS media-queries• CSS3 styling with ePub-specific prefixes
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Fixed Layout
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
eBook Devices
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 6-inch E-Ink Pearl screen (800x600px)
• 16 color grayscale• Battery life: Up to 4
weeks with wireless off• 800MHz CPU• 256MB RAM, 2GB
Storage• WiFi• Kindle format, PDF• Sync books with other
devices
Kindle 5
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 6-inch E Ink XGA Pearl touchscreen (1024x768px)
• Integrated reading light• 16 color grayscale• Battery life: Up to 2
months with wireless off• 800MHz CPU• 512MB RAM, 2GB Storage• WiFi; 3G• Kindle format, PDF• Sync books with other
devices
Kindle Paperwhite
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 7-inch LCD IPS display• 1024x600, 169ppi• Battery life: 7-8 hours• 1 GHz dual-core CPU• 8GB Storage• WiFi• Kindle Format, PDF• Sync books with other
devices
Kindle Fire
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 7-inch LCD IPS display• 1280x800, 215ppi• Battery life: 11 hours• 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU• 16GB/32GB Storage• WiFi• Kindle Format, PDF• Sync books with other
devices
Kindle Fire HD 7”
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 8.9-inch LCD IPS display• 1920x1200, 254ppi• Battery life: 10 hours• 1.5 GHz dual-core CPU• 16GB/32GB Storage• WiFi/4G LTE• Kindle Format, PDF• Sync books with other
devices
Kindle Fire HD 8.9”
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 6-inch E-Ink Pearl screen• 16 color grayscale• Battery life: Up to 2
months with wireless off; Up to 3 weeks with wireless on
• 532 MHz CPU• 128MB RAM, 4GB Storage• WiFi• Kindle format, PDF• Sync books with other
devices
Kindle 3 (Kindle Keyboard)
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 6 inch E-Ink Touchscreen• Integrated reading light• Battery life: Up to 2
months with wireless off; Up to 3 weeks with wireless on
• 667 MHz CPU• 2GB Storage, MicroSD
expansion• WiFi• ePub, PDF
Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 7 inch LCD touchscreen• 1024x600px, 169ppi• Battery life: about 8 hours• 1GHz dual-core CPU• 8GB storage w/ 512MB
RAM• 16GB storage w/ 1GHz
RAM• WiFi• Android OS, dev program• ePub, PDF
Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 7 inch LCD touchscreen• 1440x900px, 243ppi• Battery life: 10 hours• 1.3GHz dual-core CPU• 8GB/16GB storage• 1GB RAM• WiFi• Android OS, dev program• ePub, PDF
Barnes & Noble NOOK HD
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 9 inch LCD touchscreen• 1920x1280px, 256ppi• Battery life: 10 hours• 1.5GHz dual-core CPU• 16GB/32GB storage• 1GB RAM• WiFi only• Android OS, dev program• ePub, PDF
Barnes & Noble NOOK HD+
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 6 inch E-Ink Pearl Touchscreen (800x600px)
• 16 color grayscale• Battery life: 3-4 weeks• 1GHz CPU• 2GB Storage• WiFi• ePub, PDF
Sony Reader PRS-T2
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 5 inch E-Ink Pearl Touchscreen
• 16-level grayscale• Battery life: 2 weeks• 800MHz CPU• 1GB Storage• WiFi• ePub, PDF• Sync books with other
devices/apps
Kobo Mini
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 6 inch E-Ink Pearl Touchscreen
• 16-level grayscale• Battery life: 1 month• Freescale 508 Processor
@800MHz• 2GB Storage, SD card
optional• WiFi• ePub, PDF• Sync books with other
devices/apps
Kobo Touch
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 6 inch E Ink XGA Pearl Touchscreen (1024x768)
• Integrated reading light• 16-level grayscale• Battery life: 4 weeks with
light off• 1GHz CPU• 1GB Storage, SD card
optional• WiFi• ePub, PDF• Sync books with other
devices/apps
Kobo Glo
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 7 inch LCD Touchscreen• 1024x600px, 169ppi• Battery life: 7 hours• 800MHz CPU, 512MB
RAM• 8GB Storage, SD card
optional• WiFi only• ePub, PDF
Kobo Arc
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• 9.7 inch Multi-Touch LCD screen
• Battery life: Up to 10 hours• 16-64GB Storage• 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth• ePub, Kindle, PDF• iBooks, Kindle, B&N,
BlueFire, stand-alone eBooks, etc.
Apple iPad
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• ePub, Kindle, others• Bluefire, Aldiko, Kindle,
Nook, stand-alone eBooks, etc.
Android Devices
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Other devices that can read eBooks
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
eBook Apps
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• Interface for ePub and PDF files using Adobe’s ADEPT DRM solution
• Library management, allows content transfers to B&N nook, Sony Reader, and others
• Available for free on PC, Mac
Adobe Digital Editions
adobe.com/products/digitaleditions
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• ePub and PDF files• Supports audio, video,
some other special formatting
• Apple Fairplay DRM• iOS devices only
iBooks
goo.gl/obbLKCopyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• Reads ePub files, including Adobe DRMed files
• Allows syncing through iTunes
• Uses Adobe SDK, same look/feel as Sony, etc.
• Available on iPad, iPhone, and Android
Bluefire Reader
bluefirereader.comCopyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
eBook Retailers
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Amazon. comFormats: Mobipocket/Kindle
Submissions: Authors and Publishers
Royalties: 70% or 35% of list price
Genres: Any
Special: Purchased books can be read on any Kindle device or app
amazon.com/kindlestoreCopyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
iBookstoreFormats: ePub
Submissions: Authors and Publishers
Royalties: 70% of list price
Genres: Any
Special: Formatting enhancement options are quite enticing
goo.gl/obbLKCopyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Barnes & NobleFormats: ePub
Submissions: Anyone (using the PubIt! system)
Royalties: 65% or 40% of list price
Genres: Any
Special: Purchased books can be read on any Nook device or app
The “NOOKbook” format naming is difficult for consumers
bn.com/ebooksCopyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
KoboFormats: ePub
Submissions: Anyone (Kobo Writing Life)
Royalties: 50% of list price
Genres: Any
Special: High international presence
kobobooks.comCopyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Sony’s Reader StoreFormats: ePub
Submissions: Publishers only (10+ titles) or use a distributor
Royalties: ??
Genres: Any
ebookstore.sony.comCopyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Google EditionsFormats: ePub
Submissions: Anyone
Royalties: ??
Genres: Any
Special: Difficult to get titles up for sale
support.google.com/books/partner/Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
AllRomanceEbooks.comOmniLit.com
Diesel-ebooks.com1RomanceEbooks.com
eBookMall.comSmashwords
Books on Board
Other eBook RetailerseBooks.com
blio.comBaen.com
eBookCrossroads.comeBookHeaven.co.uk
eBookPie.comand more…
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Where do we go from here?
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
• What is my target audience?• What features or design elements are
required?• What devices am I targeting?• What retailers am I going to work
with?
Key Questions to Ask
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Children’s eBook
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Children’s eBook
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.
eBookNinjas.com
#eprdctneprdctn.org
Q & A
Joshua TallenteBook Guru
www.firebrandtech.comwww.ebookarchitects.com
@jtallent // @ebookarchitects // @askburnie
Copyright © 2013 Firebrand Technologies. All rights Reserved.